The Roman province of Aquitaine was named by Julius Caesar in the first century BC. Under the Romans, Aquitania extended almost as far north as the Loire River. The portion south of the Gironde was made a separate province in the late 3rd century. The remainder became a separate kingdom in the Frankish period. The title Duke of Aquitaine was held by the counts of Poitiers from the 10th to the 12th century. The last duke was William X. When his daughter, Eleanor of Aquitaine, married the heir to the throne of England in 1152, the area became an English possession and remained so until the 15th century when France at the end of the Hundred Years' War annexed it. From the 13th century until the French Revolution, Aquitaine was called Guyenne. The name Aquitaine was revived in the 1960s to designate the economic region comprising the French departments of Pyrénées-Atlantiques, Landes, Gironde, Dordogne, and Lot-et-Garonne.
             Aquitaine is one of the most accessible regions in France. It has a very intricate system of roads and rails. There are a few major airports along with many minor and privately owned runways.
             In Aquitaine, there are many major cities, such as Bordeaux, Pau, Biarritz and Bayonne.
             Bordeaux is only known because it is the capital but because of its wines. It is the home to the best wines in the area for example Margaux, Medoc, Sauternes, and Saint-Emilion. This city was, for centuries, a flourishing port. It rose to its pinnacle during the 18th century. Stendhal wrote at this time "Bordeaux is by far the most beautiful city in France." Bordeaux is one of the few cities that have wide streets. There are also many things to see in Bordeaux: the Place de la Bourse, St-André Cathedral, Grosse Cloche, the Place du Parlement, the mainsions and avenues designed by the Marquis of Tourny, the Grand-Théâtre, and the Palais Rohan. There are also many beautiful intricate details of the city, some as elaborate doorkn...